Two Vireos and Some Friends 



you will probably mistake it for that of the 

 Wren. But after a bit you will notice that 

 it is considerably fuller and richer than the 

 smaller bird's strain, and altogether more 

 melodious— even though, like the other, it is 

 very much of a monotone. 



In speaking of the Vireo's ''music,'' 

 however, we must not confound it with its 

 ''call" — which is simply one or two harsh, 

 rasping notes that are quite distinctive and 

 easily recognized. And just here it may 

 be well to remind ourselves of the impor- 

 tance of knowing if possible in every case 

 both these methods in which all birds find 

 voice, so that hearing them we may not 

 multiply new species out of the imagina- 

 tion, or make other mistakes by attributing 

 the mere call and the real song to different 

 birds. 



The two Vireos of the maple tree showed 

 the same delightful trait which some other 

 species have of singing while sitting on 

 their nest, each hopping off now and then to 

 give place to the other. And they were of 

 course most easily studied while so engaged. 

 [1111 



